


Heart Shy

by WeBuiltThePyramids



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Holding back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9983918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeBuiltThePyramids/pseuds/WeBuiltThePyramids
Summary: “If we never get together,” Paige said slowly, feeling like something was squeezing her lungs as she drew in a breath, “then you can’t leave me.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So someone asked me on Tumblr if, if Tim is the one to break up with Paige, if I thought it'd be realistic for her to be upset about that. I said I thought so, and in typing my reasons why, I got the idea for this, drawing on Paige's insecurities and why Tim breaking up with Paige could really mess her up. It's probably a two shot, a three shot at most.

When her friends asked if she was okay, Paige said that she was. She insisted, even as Toby and Happy glanced at each other, even as Sylvester bit his lip, even as Walter periodically glanced at her with concern. She was okay. Of course she was, it's not like she and Tim had been together for four years. It's not like he had cheated on her. It's not like he'd ever promised to love her forever. It's not like they'd even used that word at all.

So why in the _hell_ did it feel like this was Drew all over again?

She didn't cry that first night, after she tucked Ralph in and was finally alone, but she sat on the bed, staring at whatever was on the TV with a blanket wrapped around her until the sun started to poke through the blinds.

When Tim had suggested they do long distance, she'd felt a tiny prickle of dread. She'd only had one other long distance relationship in her entire life, and it had led to months of forcing smiles at work, crying into her pillow every night, clutching her son tighter than he liked because she was desperate to hold on to the last person in the world that loved her, even though the mute two year old had never told her so. Paige was sure the sun had been out in the months after she realized Drew was never coming home. It was California, after all. But she didn't remember any sun. Every memory of that time, with the exception of Ralph saying _mommy_ for the first time, was tinged in darkness, as if there was a dirty fog in the air.

But while Tim too was drawn away by the promise of a fulfilling job, he'd initially been planning to stay. And he had a job waiting for him when he returned, it was in L.A., she knew he'd be coming home. And Tim was older than Drew was when he left. He was more responsible. He knew more of what he wanted.

Maybe that's why this hurt so badly. Because this wasn't the move of a rash, selfish twenty four year old. This was Tim weighing his options, capable of rationalizing everything he felt, and deciding that she wasn't worth it.

She didn't doubt that when they'd kissed at TSA and he said he couldn't wait to kiss her again when he came home, he'd fully expected to do so. She'd remembered her farewell to Drew then, and pushed the niggling fear down, away, because certainly this was going to be different.

She had to believe that, because what were the odds of it happening again?

It had to be her. She tried so hard, loved so hard, threw herself into any relationship she entered into and gave her all. Yet she had to keep the people she dated physically close. As soon as there was any sort of distance involved, she was left alone. Dream jobs won over her, every single time.

So now, standing on the roof of the garage six weeks after the phone call from Jordan that Tim was done and thirty seconds after Walter O'Brien confessed his love for her, she was telling him that she loved him too, but she wasn't going to be able to go with him to the light show in a few days.

"I don't understand," Walter said, and she could see the distress in his eyes and it hurt and she looked away. "If you love me, why can't we be together?"

She didn't want to answer. She looked away, her eyes half closed as she stared out at nothing.

"Paige."

"If we never get together," Paige said slowly, feeling like something was squeezing her lungs as she drew in a breath, "then you can't leave me."

Silence hung in the air, and she squeezed her eyes shut and started down at the cement that topped the wall. Her nails stared back up at her invitingly, and it was all she could do to not lift a hand to her lips and bite them down to the quicks, the way she had the first night she'd mourned Drew.

"Paige, please look at me."

She did. She wanted to.

Walter's eyes locked onto her own. "Paige, I _love_ you. I'm not going anywhere. And I know that you're scared, but...but...is that really the best way to live?"

Paige blinked, a tear leaking out. "Isn't that exactly what was stopping you last year?" She knew she wasn't being entirely fair, criticizing his fear for keeping them apart when she was now doing the same thing. But this was different. She had past experience. She'd been knocked over the head one too many times. She was head shy... _heart shy_. This was different...wasn't it?

"I was an idiot." He said it so simply. Paige ran her tongue along her lower lip, and Walter stepped a little closer. "Paige, I was scared of what I felt for you. I didn't know what it was; all I knew was that I'd never felt that way before, about anyone. You know I never used to believe in love. But once I realized that was what I felt for you, it was like everything changed. Suddenly it made sense. And every time I look at you, every time you look at me, I just...I see everything I never knew I wanted."

"Walter, I know that you love me," Paige said. "Okay, I'm not...I don't doubt that. Believe me. I can see it in your eyes, those eyes, I..." She pressed her lips together. "And when you say you want to be with me forever I believe you. But I've been told that before. Drew and I thought we'd be together for the rest of our lives. I thought for sure Tim and I would last the eight months. And yet..." she shook her head, hating how much her voice was cracking. "And yet..."

"Please don't cry," Walter said, reaching up and brushing a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Please don't cry."

"Walter, I barely survived losing Drew." She shook her head slowly. "And when Tim broke up with me, with those memories of Drew rushing to the front of my mind...for a moment there I thought I was going to die. And I didn't even love Tim." She bit her lower lip. "Walter, if I fell into you, and then somewhere along the line your feelings changed, or you found...you found something you're more passionate about, I..." She closed her eyes and looked down. "I don't know that I could climb out of that place again. But it's not fair to you to ask that you stay with me no matter what. I love you far too much to ever try and force you to stay. So I'm sorry, but...I can't, Walter. I have to protect myself."

She could see the devastation on his face. She wanted to pull him close, protect him from what was hurting him, but she couldn't. Not in this case. Not when it was her.

But God, she wanted his arms. She wanted his lips. She wanted to bury her face into his neck and bask in loving someone, really loving someone, who loved her back. She could feel the love radiating from Walter even as he stood with at nearly two feet in between them. If he touched her right now, she was going to crumble into his arms.

And that was precisely why she couldn't.

She was already in way too deep. If she let herself fall from this point, she'd be gone. If she let him touch her, no one else's touch would ever compare. If she brought him into her bed, any bed she slept in for the rest of her life would have the imprint of his body next to her.

She'd been in love before. But she'd _never_ felt like this before even beginning a relationship. If that was any indication of how much she'd love him if they acted on their feelings, if they started to really _build_ something together...

"I'm sorry," Paige said again. "Walter, please don't think that this means I don't love you."

"No, you have to...you have to do what you have to do," Walter said, his voice laden with emotion, the distress so evident more tears leaked out of Paige's eyes. "I understand, I really do."

"I uh," Paige blurted after more excruciating silence, "I really should...it's late." She gestured upward at the moon. "Ralph has school tomorrow and I just, I really..."

"No, go, we have...we have that job...tomorrow...should get some rest." Walter sniffed, nodding rapidly. "Go. See you in the morning."

Paige nodded, backing away, finally turning and walking toward the door, unable to look at him a moment longer. Every second she looked into his eyes she wanted to forget everything she'd just said.

She descended the stairs, her pace increasing steadily, wondering why it was so dark in the garage. Happy was usually great at keeping everything working.

She scooped up her son despite his surprised yelp, lifting him to her hip with a "Ralph, it's past your bedtime" and heading for the door.

"Mom, I'm _twelve_ ," he protested, the sudden sharp pain in Paige's back simultaneously reminding her of the same thing. She let him down, holding the door open and ushering him through it, fumbling for her keys.

"Mom, _what's wrong_?" He asked as they got into the car.

"It's just me," Paige said as she put the key in the ignition. "Seat belt, Ralph."

"I have my seat belt on."

"Good."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, baby," Paige lied, looking up toward the roof, wondering if Walter was still up there, watching her leave as she knew he hated to see her do. "Don't worry about me."

She knew he didn't believe her, but to her son's credit, he remained silent the rest of the way home.

Paige spent another night wrapped up on a blanket on the couch. This time, she cried.


	2. Chapter 2

Paige entered the garage and strode purposefully toward her desk, so focused on her path that she didn’t realize until she got to her chair and sat down that Walter wasn’t even in the room.

The past week had been hell on Earth.  To Walter’s credit, he was acting as if she hadn’t rejected him at all, greeting her with a smile, encouraging her when she went out of her comfort zone on a job, and chatting pleasantly with her when they were on down time in the garage.  And Ralph...

God, Ralph.  Paige loved watching Walter with her son, and although she already knew that things between those two wouldn’t change, it was still a huge relief to her to see them laughing and talking and smiling while bent over a project.  Ralph had even given Walter a side hug at some point, and the look of affection that passed between them made Paige have to look away.

Everything was hovering in place.  She just _couldn’t_ let it fall.

This didn’t make it any easier to face him in the mornings, when their eyes met for the first time, when they greeted each other as two people in love who were purposefully apart.  She usually walked in with the same businesslike demeanor that she had today.

There was some paperwork on her desk, and, grateful for something to do, Paige reached for it, booting up her computer.  She heard familiar footfalls behind her and smiled when a mug appeared over her shoulder.  “Thank you, Walter.”

“You’re welcome,” he said.  “Good morning.”

Paige could feel Happy and Sylvester’s eyes on both of them as Walter continued to his desk.  “Slow day today,” he commented.  “Happy, how is your prototype for the Collingwood project coming along?”

“I’ll get it done.”

“Fair enough,” Walter said with a nod.  “Sly, what are you working on?”

“Side project.”

“Mmmm.” Walter looked at him for a few seconds, then turned back to his laptop.

The rare easy day – the rare _actually easy_ day.  Ordinarily, Paige would have been grateful for it.  Today, she wished they were busy.  She wanted – needed – to bury herself in work and not come up until everything was easier.  She wished she knew how long that would take.

It was the better part of a year before thinking of Drew didn’t hurt, and as she realized when comparing the end of her relationship with him and with Tim, she still wasn’t fully over it, ten years later.  She didn’t love Drew anymore, she certainly no longer missed him and hadn’t longed to be in his arms since she was twenty three.  But what he’d done to her had made an impact that would probably never be completely smoothed over.

She couldn’t imagine ever being able to look at Walter and not feel regret, even if it was what she had to do.  But there were days – many of them – when she thought she’d never be happy again after she realized Drew wasn’t coming home.  She told herself that she’d be okay, and that one day she’d fall in love again, a sentiment that was echoed by everyone around her.

The irony, Paige thought, of thinking that falling in love again would be the gateway to happiness, when here she was once again wallowing in the same misery that had come from losing Drew.

Part of her blamed Tim.  But she knew that wasn’t fair.  He hadn’t strung her along like Drew did.  The similarities between how both relationships ended weren’t his fault.

Too bad.  He was seven thousand miles away and she’d probably never see him again.  If she wanted to blame him, internally, she was going to.  Anger, even petty, unfair anger, was a welcome emotion to cut through everything else she was feeling.

Paige flipped through the paperwork, unsure if she wanted to fully submerse herself in it or pace herself, a less intense distraction that lasted longer.  She decided to go full throttle.  This part always took longer than she anticipated and she didn’t want to accidentally overwhelm herself.  She didn’t need that right now.

When Walter’s voice jarred her out of the zone to ask her what she wanted for lunch – and she realized Sylvester had already asked her twice with no response – she was pleased at how much time had passed.

She answered, looking at Sylvester and using a voice that was probably a little too loud.  He nodded, looking at her oddly, glancing at Happy before heading toward the door.

“I didn’t even realize what time it was,” Paige commented.

“Day’s been dragging for me,” Walter said.  “I don’t like having to wait and that guy who was supposed to send me the mock up from Virginia before I can start formatting.

“ _That guy_ is the guy who is paying you, Walt,” Happy pointed out.

“Uh huh.  Oh!” Walter jumped up, grabbing his phone as it began to buzz.  “This could be him now.  Five seven one.”  He put the phone to his ear as he darted for the stairs.

Paige looked down at her paperwork.  As focused as she’d been all morning, now that her concentration had been broken the words were blurring together and her head was starting to hurt.  And she was hungry.  Good thing Sylvester was off to get lunch.

She sighed, resting her forehead in one of her hands, her elbow digging into the surface of her desk.

“You hanging in there, Dineen?”

Paige slowly opened her eyes.  Happy was walking around her desk and crossing over to stand in front of her.  “Hey, you good?”

“Yeah.  I suppose.”  Paige began to shuffle the papers around, for lack of anything else to do.  She was a bit unnerved by the way Happy stared at her, as if to challenge.  She ignored her, avoided eye contact, for several more moments, then sighed, leaning back and folding her arms.  “What.”

“Is it okay with you if I say a couple of things?”

Paige gave a small, tired shrug.  “I suppose.”

Happy walked around the desk.  “You’re miserable.  Walter’s miserable.  And there’s a way to fix that.”

Paige closed her eyes, shaking her head.  “Happy...”

“I know why you guys aren’t together.  And I can sympathize. Look, I’ve been through a lot of crap.  Some really awful crap.  Theoretically, I should be _terrified_ of being with Toby.  Because he has the potential to hurt me like I’ve never been hurt before.  And that’s part of why I hesitated so long to begin a relationship with him.  He’s the best friend I’ve ever had and I was scared of losing what we had and scared of making it something more and then having farther to crash, when I’d already crashed so many times.” Happy set down her wrench.  “But you know what? That’s exactly _why_ I went for it.  I wasn’t protecting myself by not being with him.  I was denying myself the chance to be happy.  Truly happy.  And while I’m a genius? Deciding to let go and risk myself and be with Toby was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.”

Paige bit her lip.

“Come on, Dineen,” Happy said.  “I’ve known Walt for a lot longer than you but you still know that he isn’t the kind of guy who falls easily.  He’s in this for the long haul.  And you love him, too.  And your kid adores him.”

“If it seems too good to be true,” Paige said, “then it probably – ow!”  She glared at Happy, rubbing the back of her head where the younger woman had smacked it.  “What was that for?”

“That’s what I do to Toby when he’s being an idiot.” 

“I don’t know, Happy,” Paige said, shaking her head.  “I didn’t just suddenly decide to say no to him, you know.  I thought about this.  I’ve agonized over this.”

“So it’s entirely possible that you’re overthinking it.”  Happy made a giving motion with her hands.  “Allow.”  She folded her arms.  “Come on, Dineen, you know that I hate talking about other people’s personal lives.  I’m talking to you right now because I care.  About you and about Walt.  And it’s glaringly obvious to me that the two of you want each other and need each other and it’s frustrating as Hell to watch you refuse.” Her voice dropped, into a slightly more tender tone that Paige rarely heard.  “I know you’re scared.  I told you, I’ve been there.  But Drew and Tim left you because they found a job that they love more.  That’s not happening here.  Walter already has his dream job.  He’s living his ideal professional life already.  If the job would ever drive you two apart, he never would have fallen for you in the first place.  But he did.” 

* * *

Paige couldn’t help but smile – in spite of everything – when her son cuddled closer.

Ralph would never be the physically affectionate child that she’d spent all of her pregnancy looking forward to having.  But in the past few years, he’d become a lot more comfortable with it all, and he knew that she wasn’t happy.  She had no idea if he knew exactly what had gone down between her and Walter – she had only given him a vague explanation for her new single status – but he was remarkably perceptive, and she could tell by the way he was curling up with her on the couch the past few nights that he was making the best effort he could to make her feel better.  He knew that she lived for moments like this.

It bothered Paige that she wasn’t able to fool him into thinking everything was okay, like she had been able to when he was younger.  She liked being able to create a world for him where nothing was wrong.

But she also liked that he was old enough now that when she was upset, it didn’t scare him.  It made him want to help.

“I appreciate you spending this time with me, baby,” she said, rubbing his back gently.

“I don’t like when you’re sad, Mom.”  Ralph looked up at her.  “I wish I could help.”

“You are,” she said, using her other hand to run lightly through his hair.  “You are.  You know, at the end of the day, you’re the only guy I really need.  I’ll always be okay, as long as I have you.”

She’d thought that her words would make Ralph smile, but instead he pressed his lips together and looked down.  “Ralph?”

“I don’t want you to just be okay.  You’re my mom.  I want you to be happy.  I want you to be as happy as you can be.”

“I will be,” she said, “in time.  Life has ups and downs.  This is just one of the rougher times.”

Ralph sat up on his knees.  “This isn’t about Tim.”

Paige didn’t know how to respond – agreeing with her son would open the floodgates for questioning.  But she didn’t want to lie.  “Why do you say that?”  She regretted the question immediately – her curiosity as to how her son’s E.Q. had developed won over her not wanting any more questions.

“Because you were sad two months ago, but you’re sadder now.”

She sighed, looking down at where Ralph’s knees were pressing against her thigh.  “You’re not wrong about that, honey,” she said.  “Your mom’s just in a complicated situation right now,” she added, looking back up at him.  “I’ll be okay.  It might just take a little time.”

Ralph bit his lip.  Paige tipped her head slightly to the side.  _Does he know?_   Walter wouldn’t tell Ralph about the conversation that had gone one between them.  He respected her far too much to do that.  But her son was growing more and more perceptive.  Could he have simply figured it out?  Or was she overthinking all of this?

Ralph shifted.  “Mom?”

“Hmmm?”

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.  “I love you.  I just want us all to be happy.”

Paige lifted a hand, running it along his hairline, over his ear.  “I love you too, Ralph.”  She saw the look in her son’s eyes.  It was hauntingly similar to what she saw whenever she looked in the mirror.  She wanted to ask Ralph if Drew leaving meant that he was afraid of ever having a stepdad.  If he was scared of losing anyone he let into such an intimate role in his life, just as she was.  But she didn’t.  She didn’t think he was old enough for her to ask those questions, and she already knew what his answer would be.  She hadn’t been as in touch with her son lately, but she wasn’t blind.  She knew how much he loved Walter.  She knew how much Walter loved him.  And she knew that Ralph wasn’t scared of any of that.

It was her turn to bite her lip.  “Hey, will you be okay here alone for a little while?”

“Where are you going?”

“You remember watching The Lion King when you were young?”

“You didn’t want to show it to me once we moved out here.  Because the lion lost his dad.”

“Right.”  Paige had sheltered him from any movie with a parent that was absent, for whatever reason.  “Well, in the movie, the old, wise character tells the lion that while you can’t change the past, you can’t allow it to haunt you for the rest of your life.  Because if you do that, you’ll never get to where you’re supposed to be.”  She hunkered down in front of him, her hands on the edge of the cushion.

When she told her son where she was going, she didn’t have to give an explanation.  She knew by the way Ralph’s eyes lit up that he knew why.

* * *

Walter blinked in surprise when he opened the door, making her wonder why in the world she’d knocked.  “Paige?”


	3. Chapter 3

"Can I come in?"

Walter cocked his head. Paige knew it was a stupid question. She worked here. She walked in without knocking every single day. She wrung her hands. "Uh, can I?"

"Of course." He stepped back and stood aside. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she said, stopping immediately and turning to face him, standing less than ten feet away. "No. I mean..." she bit her lip. "Maybe?"

"You're shaking. Are you cold?"

"No." She shook her head as he walked toward her. "No, I'm just..." He watched her, not speaking. She was grateful for his patience. She needed a little more of it.

She'd spent the entire drive over rehearsing what she was going to say, but now that she was here, she had no way to begin. Walter was just complaining earlier that day about the guy in Virginia being wishy washy with him. What if her back and forth was too much for him? What if her words to him, weeks ago, had convinced him that it was time to get over her, no matter what she said or did now? A year ago – less than that – she was blaming him for doing the same thing, getting close and backing off.

If he'd been half as scared as she was now...

"Walter," she said, "I was thinking...today...tonight...that maybe I was...wrong. About you and me."

His expression told her that she'd phrased that wrong. "What?"

"I mean, what I said...on the roof." Her eyes felt hot, and she blinked the beginning of tears away. Everything she wanted to say fell out of reach as she grappled for the words. They'd already confessed their feelings. How was she supposed to begin? She wet her lips with her tongue, then pressed them together. "Walter, but I'm still so scared."

He stepped closer, taking her face in both his hands and gently guiding it up to look at him, easy since they were so close to the same height. "Please don't cry. Or...tell me how I can help."

She smiled, blinking rapidly to try and stop the tears. One leaked out, trailing down her cheek. "I don't know how to not be afraid of losing you."

His thumbs stroked her cheeks gently. "Does knowing that I'm also afraid of losing you help?"

She smiled, shaking her head gently against his hands. "Don't be afraid of that." _I don't leave. I've never left. They always leave me._

"And why do _you_ get to be scared and I can't?" Her gave her a playful smile.

She gave a little laugh, closing her eyes, enjoying his touch. When she reopened them, she also enjoyed the affectionate look he was giving her. She'd always been quite captivated by his eyes.

"Paige, do you wanna..." he hesitated, dropping his hands, and she didn't blame him. She'd already rejected him once.

So she said the only thing she could say.

"Yes."

She saw his eyes light up, his expression hopeful yet guarded. "Y – yes?"

"I'm just..." she hoped he wouldn't think she was flip flopping. She wasn't backing away. She just... "We can joke all we want but I still don't know how to not be afraid."

"You know, Toby says that the more you worry about losing something, the more special that something is," Walter said. "So when I think about losing you, the fear I feel only makes me more sure that this is what I want." He lifted a hand and rested it on the side of her neck. "We'd be good together, Paige. We already are."

She nodded, reaching up and placing a hand on either side of his neck as she pressed her lips to his, stepping closer as he shifted his position and slid his arms around her. God, it'd been such a long time since they had kissed, and it was never like this before. This time, there was no rush, no danger, only the two of them in the quiet garage with nothing to stop them.

Their first kiss, frantic, exploratory, explosive, had been nearly two years ago, and the second was a necessity. This was different; it was slow, intimate, as if they both felt they needed to prove their love for one another with it, as if they needed to move slower to make it last because every time this had happened before it hadn't gone anywhere.

Walter's arms were tight around her, holding her close, and she was grateful for that because it felt like the type of permanence she so desperately wanted and although it hadn't been _that_ long since she was held she couldn't remember the last time that it felt like this.

Their lips separated and, for the first time, they didn't immediately move away. Paige rested her chin on his shoulder, feeling one of his hands come up to rest in her hair. "You know, in Vietnam," Walter whispered, "I promised I wouldn't let you go. I only state facts, you know."

There was a tremor in his voice, and she pulled back, looking at him curiously. She could see everything he felt for her in his eyes, including his own fear of failure, of being the one left behind.

He was giving her everything he had, pushing aside his own uncertainty to try and comfort her. She loved him all the more for it.

_So tell him. It's not just on him to make the promises._

She bit her lip. Every time she'd made promises before, she was always left feeling like a sucker when they left. But maybe Drew hadn't damaged her quite as badly as she'd thought. Maybe if this was another guy, she'd just be feeling the same unpleasant, niggling feeling of dread like she had with Tim. After all, losing Tim hadn't hurt nearly as bad as the mere thought of losing Walter. Maybe her nearly paralyzing fear was because...

"I love you," she said, quietly, gently, shaking her head slowly as she smiled. A corner of Walter's mouth turned up slightly. She ran her hands through his hair, over his ears, like she had years ago, almost right above where they were standing now, the day she'd first realized that her feelings for him had changed. She tipped her head. "Walter, you're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me and Ralph, you know that, right?" She leaned in, brushing her lips across his. "You walking into our lives felt like some sort of homecoming. And..." she smiled. "Ralph wants so badly for the three of us to be a family, but...I kinda...feel...like we already are. Like we always were, and we just hadn't found everyone yet." She blushed. "I know that doesn't make any sense, I'm just _really_ emotional right now and..."

"I like it."

She stopped, a small smile playing at her lips. "Really?"

Walter shrugged. "If Toby says he loved Happy before he even knew she existed, then we could have been a family before we met. Right?"

Paige grinned. "right."

He grinned back, then his lips curled under nervously. "So..." he asked slowly, hesitantly. "Is this...are we...us?"

"It was because of me that we didn't become us two weeks ago," she said softly. "And I'm done with that. I want you. Risk be damned. We take risks every day for other people. Why shouldn't we take one for us?"

"I love you," he said again, smiling affectionately at her.

"Good," she breathed, smiling.

He tightened his arms around her, kissing her again, and Paige closed her eyes. This is what it was supposed to feel like. This was the kind of thing that lasted.

Happy was right. Walter already had his dream job, and here he was, holding her and kissing her as if he'd give it all up right now just to stay like this.

But they couldn't – not right now.

"Walter," she mumbled against his lips after a minute or two, "I do have to get back to Ralph."

"Do you want to do something tomorrow?" Walter asked.

"I'd like that. Maybe a walk?" A walk was so easy, so simple. But as much as Paige loved restaurants and concerts, she realized that what she really wanted was just to spend time with him.

"Excellent," Walter said with a nod.

"It's a date," she said, the idiom easily rolling off her tongue. Then she stopped, her eyebrows shooting up. "Oh my gosh, it _is_ a date!"

Walter cocked his head, looking confused. Paige kissed him again, briefly, rather than explain. "I really have to get back to Ralph. See you tomorrow?"

She knew Walter always hated when she left. But tonight he didn't seem quite so pained. "Yeah," he said with a smile. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

 "Where's Walter?"

Paige stopped, her arm extended to set her purse on the table. "What?"

Ralph was leaning on the back of the couch, looking at her, his lower lip rolled under. "I thought you were going to the garage."

"I did," Paige said. She set the purse down and crossed the room, standing in front of her son. "I did go to the garage."

Ralph looked crushed. "Oh."

Paige looked at him curiously before realizing. _He thinks I came back alone because it didn't go well._ "Oh, Ralph, no," she said. "Walter and I have decided we want to be together.

Ralph straightened up, his eyes bright. "Really?"

She smiled, running a hand through his hair. "Yep."

" _Really_?"

Paige gave a little laugh. "Yep."

Ralph grinned. "You love him. He loves you." He stood up on the cushions, leaning over to wrap his arms around Paige's neck. "This is the best day _ever_."

Paige chuckled, wrapping her arms around him. She was going to tell him that the day he was born was the best day ever, her default response since he was a baby, but she decided against it. Ralph didn't remember that anyway, and like hell was she going to take away from what he was feeling right now.

"You're right, baby," she whispered, cuddling him close. "This is the best day ever."


End file.
